Sidney d



S. D. WALDON.

HYDROCAHBON MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 29. IsIs.

Patenied Sept. 16, 1919.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY D. WALDON, OF ISETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO CADILLAC MOTOR CAR COMPANY, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

, HYDROCARBON-MOTOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Application le'd January 29, 1916. Serial No. 74,966.

, `a citizen of the United States, and resident of Detroit, Wayne county, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydrocarbon-Motors, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hydrocarbon motors, and particularly to liquid separating devices which are adapted for application thereto.

One of the objects of this invention is to improve existing liquid separating devices.

Another object is to provide simple and eiiicient means for eliminating heavier liquids, such as water, from the lighter ones, such as lubricants, where liquids become mixed in hydraulic and lubricating systems, particularly of the circulating type.

A Very serious diiculty, which has been encountered in the design and manufacture of internal combustion engines, particularly of the hydrocarbon type, has been to devise means for preventing the formation of water in the lubricating system, and further to eliminate this water from the system after it has formed therein.

This problem became very serious in designing the moderny high speed vehicle motor which is provided with manycylinders, as it is found that with a small quantity of gas leaking around the piston of each of the cylinders to the crank case, the total amount for the motor becomes considerable. These gases then condense in the crank case and the water mixes with the lubricant and is circulated therewith, with obvious troubles and inconveniences; in many cases, water in suiicient quantities has'formed in the pipes of the lubricating system to require a settling and draining of the lubricant after a tive hundred mile run of the vehicle in which the motor is installed.

Heretofore, the only method available was by stopping the motor, and after ermitting a settling and separation of the }liquids by gravity, to remove drain plugs or `open drain cocks and draw the water from the bottom of the tank. This process was necessary 'as there was no known means provided Yfor separating the liquids during the operation of the motor.

Therefore, another object of this inven cant during the operation of the motor or its lubricating system without substantially diminishing the supply of lubricant.

These, and other objects, will appear from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of this specification, and in which is illustrated a side elevation, with portions broken away, of a V-type motor, comprising a lubricating system having a preferred form of my invention applied thereto.

In the drawings, 10 represents a crank case or motor base, on which may be mounted, as in V relation, a plurality of cylinder blocks, one .of which is shown at 11. A crank shaft 12, comprising a plurality of throws or cranks 13 may be mounted in three bearings 14 arranged in integral webs 15 of the crank case. These bearings com-4 prise two part journal members lksleeved on the shaft and held in position against rotation by detachable caps 17, as by bolts 17. It w1ll be understood that each of the journal members 16 is provided with an interiorly arranged circumferential groove 18, provided with a port 19 which is in constant communication with a channel 20, eX- tending upwardly through a bearing supporting web 15. The crankshaft l12 is provided with drilled out portions or channels 21, one end of each of which is in constant communication with a groove 18 in a journal member 16 and the other end of which is in communication with a journal member 22 arranged on the adjacent crank, the member 22 also having an interiorly arranged distributing groove 23, in registration with a port 24 leading to the` interior of the crank.

Suitably arranged on each crank is a pair of connecting rods 25, one of which is provided with bifurcated arms 26,- which are adapted to embrace a strai ht end rod arranged on the journal mem er 22 intermediate its arms. Suitable caps 27 and 28 and bolts 29 maintain the connecting rods inoperative relation. A cam shaft 30, provided with a plurality of cams 31, is mount-' ed in the crank case 10 above the crank shaft 12, and a plurality of bearing members 32, which may be arranged in integral web ortions 33 of the crank case, the cam sha 30 being adapted to be assembled in the crank case bv an endwise movement of the shaft,

and may be secured in position in any Well.

known manner.

Mounted in a cover plate 34, which may be suitably secured' in position, are rods 35, on Whichvmay be pivotally mounted a plurality of rocker arms 36, a pair of which are adapted to be operated by each one of the cams 31, and to operate tappets, not shown, of the usual puppet valve mechanism.

A plurality of gears 37 and 38 may be mounted on the' frontend of the crank shaft and secured against rotation thereon by means of a key and bolt 39, the gear 38 being adapted to drive. another gear 40 by means such as a chain 4 1. The gear 40, which will be more particularly described hereinafter, may be secured, as b bolts 42, to the forward end of the cam sha 30. Another shaft 43, which may be mounted in bearings, not shown, in the crank case, is arranged below the crank shaft 12 With its axis at right angles thereto, and is provided with the gear 44, which is adapted to mesh with the gear 37 on the crank shaft, and to be driven therefrom. A pump shaft 45 is arranged parallel with the crank shaft 12 in suitable bearings 46. The shaft 45 is provided with a gear 47 in mesh with the gear 44 and is adapted to have a driving connection with an oil pump 48, which may be of the Well known gear type.

It will be understood that the oil pump 48 may be suitably mounted, as illustrated, on a cover plate 49, which may be suitably secured in position over the gearing at the front end of the crank case.

The bottom part of the crank case is provided with an opening 50, over which may be arranged a cover 51, which may be secured in position, as by bolts 52, and forms a main oil well or reservoir 53, from which lubricant may be drawn by means of a conduit 54 to the intake, not shown, of the oil pump. Another conduit 55 may be suitabl secured to a discharge port 56 of the oil pump 48, and the upper end of this conduit may be'detachabl)v connected, as by means of a coupling or union 57, so that its port 58, at the upper end, registers With a circumferential groove 59 formed in the interior of the front bearing 32 for the cam shaft 31. It will be noted after the lubricant has been forced to the-groove 59 it may flow through a lateral port 60 formed in the rotatable shaft 30, adjacent-its front end, and may then flow forwardly through an intake channel 61 and discharge from the shaft through a pocket intake port 62, which communicates w1th the interior of the gear 40 or with its oil pocket 63. It will be seen that the front face of the gear may be closed by a suitably. secured plate 64 so that this gear forms a rotatable oil receptacle. The shaft 30 also has a distributing ordisoharge channel 65 formed in the plane of its axis and adapted toA feed lubricant through its ports 66 to registeringv channels 20 for distributing oil to various bearings and to other portions of the motor. The channel 65 is provided at its forward end With -a port 67, also communicating in the plane of its aXls With the separator chamber or pocket 63. Another discharge channel 68, in shaft 30, is provided with a conduit 69, which com-v municateswith its forward end and extends to a point adjacent the periphery 70 of the interior of the separating chamber. The opposite end of this channel is provided with a port discharge 71, adapted to intermittently register with the port 72, as illustrated, or there may be a continuous regis. tration of these ports, if desired. In c ommunication with the port 72 is a connecting conduit 73, which leads to the interior 74 of a supplementary lubricant reservoir 75, suitably arranged in the interior of the cover 51, which forms the main lubricating reser- Voir 53. Y

It Will be noted that the supplementary reservoir is closed on all sides, With the exception of an overflow port 76 formed in its top portion, and a drain port 77, which is formed in its bottom portion. The latter port is adapted to be closed by a suitable valve or threaded plug 78, and the overflow port is adapted to Ibe kept open at all times.

Having thus described the general construction and arrangement of the parts, the operation of my invention Will be understood as follows: The oil pump 48 is adapt- 100 ed to draw its main supply of oil through the conduit 54 from the main reservoir'53 and to deliver the lubricant under pressure through the conduit 55 to the circumferential groove 59 in the bearing 32, thence 105 through the channel 6l to the oil pocket 63, which Will be revolving at a relatively high speed. If there happens to be any Water mix'ed with the lubricant, the former being heavier than the latter, Will be thrown by centrifugal force to the outer! part of the pocket and fthe oilwill tend to 'remain in the central portion thereof, and will be forced out through port 67 to the distributing chan* nel 65 and fed to various parts of the motor 115 through ports 66 and channels 20. 4The Water Will be drawn of by means of the conduit 69, the inlet port of Which is arranged adjacent the outer portion of the pocket'. After leaving the conduit 69, the Water Will" be fed through the channel 68 and port 71, which, in the preferred form illustrated, is adapted to intermittently register with the port 72 in the conduit 73, which leads to the interior 74 of the supplementary'reservoir 125 75. If there happens to .be any lubricant mixed with the water which has been drawn oft', it will, of course, rise to the top of the reservoir, and as the Water Will settle tothe bottom, the latter may be drawn olf through the port 77. Of course, if this reservoir becomes full, the surplus oil, which may be contained therein, will overflow through the port 7 6 to the main reservoir.

While I have shown my liquid separator as adapted to a lubricating system, such .as described, I do not desire to limit myself to such an embodiment as it will be obvious that it may be applied in various Ways, and while I have shown a preferred method of carrying out my invention, it Will, of course, be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope hereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I'Iclaim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a lubricating system of a liquid separator comprising a rotatable receptacle supported from a suitable bearing and having a plurality of ports Within said bearing, one of which is adapted to have a continuous flow of liquid therethrough and another of which is adapted to have an intermittent flow therethrough.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a lubricating system of a liquid separator comprising a rotatable receptacle supported from a suitable bearing and having an intake port and a plurality of outlet ports within said bearing, said intake port and one lof said outlet ports being adapted to have a continuous flow of liquid therethrough, and another of said ports being adapted to have an intermittent flow therethrough.

8. In an internal combustion engine, the combination With a lubricating system of a liquid separator comprising a rotatable receptable having a plurality of ports opening within a common bearing member and one of which is provided with an automatic intermittently acting valve mechanism, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a lubricating system of a liquid separator comprising a rotatable shaft arranged in a suitab-le bearing, a receptacle driven therefrom, said shaft having a plurality of channels in constant communication with the interior of said receptacle and one of which is in intermittent comuninication with a port in said bearing, as and for the purpose set forth.

l5. In a lubricating system. al liquid separator comprising a rotatable shaft, a receptacle driven therefrom. said shaft having a plurality of channels in constant commu nication with the interiorof said receptacle, and means for intermittently feeding liquid through one of said channels.

6'. In a lubricating system. a liquid separator. comprising a rotatable shaft and a receptacle connected thereto, said shaft hav! ing an inlet passage to said receptacle and a plurality of outlet passages from said receptacle formed therein in different planes. as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In an internal Combustion engine, the combination with a lubricating system of a liquid separator comprising a rotatable receptacle supported in a suitable bearing and having an inlet port. and having a plui rality of outlet ports through said bearing. the flow of liquid through one of said ports being adapted to be automatically controlled.

8. A liquid separator comprising a rotatable shaft, a receptacle connected thereto. a feed pipe for said shaft. said shaft having an inlet channel adapted to be constantly in communication With the interior of said pipe and receptacle respectively, and a plurality of distributing conduits. said shaft also having a plurality of discharge channels arranged in different planes and adapted to communicate with the interior of said receptacle and ivith said conduits respectively and through Which lubricants of different. densities flow.

9. In an internal combustion engine. the combination with a lubricating system of a liquid separator comprising a rotatable shaft, a bearing therefor. said shaft and bearing having communicating channels. and a receptacle connected ivit-h said shaft and having ports communicating with said channels and through which lubricants of different densities flow.

l0. In a lubricating system. a liquid separator comprising a rotatable shaft. a bearing therefor. said shaft and bearing haring communicating channels. and a receptacle connected with said shaft and having ports connnunicating with said channels. one of said channels having an intermittent com nection with said bearing.

l1. In an internal combustion engine. the. combination with a crank case. a rotatable shaft mounted in bearings therein. means for feeding lubricant to said bearings. said shaft and one of its coperating bearings being provided with means for separating and distributing the heavier and lighter constituents of said lubricant.

12. In an internal combustion engine. the combination with a crank case. a. rotatable shaft mounted in bearings therein. means for feeding lubricant to said bearings. said shaft having axially extending channels formed therein and having a port adapted to communicate with one of said bearings. said shaft also being provided With a plurality of other channels, one of which is arranged substantially in the plane of its axis and the other of which is axially arranged in a different plane. means for connecting said channels `whereby upon rotation of said shaft the lubricant fed from one of said bearings through said first channel is sepaall rated into its lighter and heavier constituents, the lighter constituent being fed through said second mentioned channel and the heavier constituent being fed through said latter channel.

13. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination with a crank case forming an oil reservoir, a shaft mounted in bearings in said crank case, means for feeding lubricant from said reservoir to one of said bearings of means for separating the lighter and heavier constituents of said lubricant comprising a supplementary reservoir, means for feeding lubricant from said bearing to said latter reservoir, said supplementary reservoir having an outlet port arranged above the normal level of lubricant in said other reservoir and adapted to return liquid thereto.

14. ln an internal combustion engine, the combination with a crank case and the lubricating system for the motor, of a lubricant constituent separator, comprising a rotatable shaft mounted in bearing in said crank case, means for feeding lubricant from said .crank case to one of said bearings, said shaft having a plurality of axially arranged channels formed in different planes therein., a rotatable receptacle communicating With said channels, means for feeding lubricant from one. of said bearings to one of said channels, an oil reservoir, means for conducting lubricant from another of said channels to saidreservoir, said reservoir being provided with an overflow port arranged above the normal level of the lubricant in said crank case.

15. ln a lubricating system, a liquid separator comprising a rotatable shaft, a bearing therefor, a circumferential groove formed in said bearing, a receptacle adapted to rotate with said shaft, said shaft having a channel one end of which is in communication with said receptacle and the other end of Which is in communication with said groove, said shaft also having a plurality of channels adapted to discharge liquid from different portions of said receptacle to points exteriorly of said shaft.

16. ln an internal combustion engine, the combination With the crank case, bearings therein, and a rotatable shaft mounted in some of said bearings, of means for feeding lubricant to said bearings comprising a pump, main and` supplementary lubricant reservoirs, a conduit connecting said main reservoir and pump, a rotatable receptacle, said shaft having a channel adapted to feed lubricant from one of said bearings to said receptacle, said shaft also having a discharge channel leading from said receptacle to another of said bearings, and also having another channel leading from said receptacle to one of said bearings, and a conduit connecting said latter bearing and said supplementary reservoir.

17. 1n an internal combustion engine, the combination with the crank case, bearings therein, and a rotatable shaft mounted in some of said bearings, of means for feeding lubricant to said bearings comprising a pump, main and supplementary lubricant reservoirs, a conduit connecting said main reservoir and pump, a rotatable receptacle, said shaft having a channel adapted to feed lubricant from one of said bearings to said receptacle, said shaft also having a channel leading from said receptacle to another of said bearings, and also having another channel leading from said receptacle to one of said bearings, a conduit adapted to connect said latter bearing to said supplementary reservoir, and means for intermittently connecting said latter conduit and channel.

18. In an internal combustion engine, the

combination with the crank case, bearingstherein, and a rotatable shaft mounted in some of said bearings, of main and supplementary lubricant reservoirs, means for.

feeding lubricant from said main reservoir to said bearings, said shaft having inlet and dlstrlbuting channels formed therein, said inlet channel being adapted to feed lubricant from one of said bearings, a rotatable closed receptacle mounted on said shaft and having its interior in communication with said inlet channel, one of said other channels also connecting the interior of said rotatable receptacle with others of said bearings, and a conduit connecting one of said bearings with said supplementary reservoir, another of said channels being ada ted to connect the interior of said receptac e With some of said bearings, said supplementary reservoir being provided with an overflow port adjacent its upper portion whereby any lubricant may ioW therefrom into said main reservoir when the supplementary reservoir becomes full.

19. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the crank case, bearings therein, and a rotatable shaft mounted in some of said bearings, of main and supplementary lubricant reservoirs, means for feeding lubricant from said main reservoir to said bearings, said shaft having inlet and distributing channels formed therein, said inlet channel being adapted to feed lubricant from one of said bearings, a rotatable closed receptacle mounted on said shaft and having its interior in communication With said inlet channel, one of said other channels also connecting the interior of Said ro- `tatable member With others of said bearings, and a conduit connecting one of said bearings with said supplementary reservoir another of said channels being adapted to connect the interior of said receptacle with others of said bearings, said supplementary reservoir being provided with an overiow port adjacent its upper portion whereby any lubricant may iiow therefrom into said main reservoir when the supplementary reservoir becomes full, said reservoir being provided with a port adjacent its lower end for drawing off the heavier liquids contained therein 20. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with a crank case, bearings mounted therein, ,and a rotatable shaft mounted in said bearings, said crank case forming a main lubricant reservoir and also having a supplementary reservoir arranged therein, one of said bearings having a circumferential groove formed in its interior, means for feeding lubricant from said main reservoir to said oove, a wheel secured to said shaft and having a hollow portion forming a rotatable closed receptacle, said shaft having a channel continuously connecting said groove and a point within said wheel, said shaft also having two channels formed therein, one arranged to connect a point within said wheel adjacent its axis with another of said bearings, said first mentioned bearing also having a port arranged there` in, a pipe connecting said port with the interior of said supplementary reservoir, said shaft having another channel adapted to intermittently connect a point interiorly of said wheel adjacent its periphery with said port,-`

whereby relatively heavy and light liquids may be separated substantially, as set forth.

21. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the crank case, bearings therein, and a rotatable shaft mounted in said bearings, of means for feeding lubricant to said bearings from a suitable source of supply, and means for intermittently taking lubricant frorl'the aforesaid feeding means and separating the water therefrom and returning the separated oil to said source of supply.

22. In an internal combustion engine, the combination with the crank case, bearings therein, and a rotatable shaft mounted in said bearings, of means for feeding lubricant to said bearings under pressure from a suitable source of supply, and means for intermittently taking lubricant from the aforesaid feeding means and separating the Water therefrom and returning the separated oil to said source of supply.

23. In an internal combustion engine,

means for supplying said engine with alubricant, and means for intermittently sampling said lubricant, separating any watei therefrom and returning the lubricant to said supply.

24. In a lubricating system, means for intermittently taking a sample of the lubricant and returning the same to the system after the separation of any water therefrom.

25. In a pressure lubricating system, means for intermittently taking a sample of the lubricant, and returning the same to the system after the separation of any water therefrom.

26. In a lubricating system, means for receiving a proportionate Part of the lubricant circulated through said system and returning the same after any water has been separated therefrom.

In testimony whereof, I aiilx my signature.

SIDNEY D. WALDON.

Copies of this patent may )e obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. c. 

